Amazon Prime drops all episodes of ‘one of the best TV shows ever made’

A period drama acclaimed by critics is now available to watch in time for the long weekend (Picture: Showtime Networks Inc./ Everett/ Rex/ Shutterstock)

A steamy period drama called ‘evocative and provocative’ is now available to binge on Amazon Prime Video.

First hitting screens in 2013, Masters of Sex ran for four seasons until ending in 2016.

Loosely based on Thomas Maier’s biography of the same name, the series was set in the 1950s and 1960s and told the story of the research he undertook with Virginia Johnson.

The pair, who are portrayed by Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan, were two pioneering researchers of human sexuality at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Based on Maier, the show begins with character William Masters, a renowned fertility specialist, preparing a study on human sexuality.

He then hires Virginia, a former nightclub singer, to be his new secretary and help organise his new research program – which then sees them conduct the study in secrecy and observe the physiology of the human body during sexual intercourse and masturbation.

Masters of Sex starred Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan (Picture: Showtime Networks Inc/ Everett/ Rex/ Shutterstock)

The series was critically acclaimed when it launched, also being nominated for a Golden Globe for best drama in its first season.

‘The engrossing, beautifully cast and well-acted Masters of Sex is at once the tale of an odd couple and the story of a culture coming of age,’ The Denver Post wrote in its review.

‘Masters of Sex manages, with lightning speed, to shed any preconceived notions about what type of show it will be and, in so doing, tilts the camera up from the breast to the brain,’ The Hollywood Reporter shared.

It also starred Caitlin Fitzgerald (Picture: Showtime Networks Inc/ Everett/ Rex/ Shutterstock)

‘Alternately titillating and prudish, Masters of Sex definitely does not climax too soon,’ The Wrap added.

Meanwhile viewers called it ‘refreshing’, ‘insightful’ and ‘compelling’.

Masters of Sex also starred Caitlin FitzGerald, Teddy Sears, Nicholas D’Agosto and Annaleigh Ashford, whilst also featuring appearances from Beau Bridges, Alison Janney, Julianne Nicholson, Sarah Silverman and Jeremy Strong.

It was eventually cancelled after four seasons.

Michael has since gone on to appear in Good Omens (Picture: Amazon/ Everett/ Rex/ Shutterstock) Prior to Masters of Sex, Lizzy had appeared in Mean Girls (Picture: Michael Gibson/ Paramount/ Kobal/ Rex/ Shutterstock)

In an interview with Slate in 2013, Michael spoke about what drew him to the project.

‘It allowed me to explore a character in a completely different way to how I’ve been able to explore characters in the past, because the canvas is different. You’ve got 12 hours of storytelling per season; that’s very different from telling a story over an hour.

‘It’s about a subject that is endlessly fascinating, that we will always be drawn to, because we’re dealing with it all the time. It doesn’t matter whether this is set in the ’50s or not, it’s exactly what we’re dealing with in our homes and in our minds and in our bedrooms every day.

‘And the character himself was so full of contradictions, so full of paradoxes; there’s so much that is not immediately understood about him, so much to discover and explore, that I thought that in this format, where you have so much time to explore, he’s a perfect character to do that with.’

Masters of Sex is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

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